[at-l] The Ecumenical Feed in SNP

[southwalker99@alltel.net (Southwalker99)]

I arrived at Big Meadows on a Friday night and was almost overwhelmed by =
the crowd. People, cars, motor homes and kids everywhere. It took 15 =
minutes of line standing just to get a camping spot.  I had started to =
prepare my dinner when some folks from the next site came over, =
introduced themselves and offered dinner with them and their friends. =
Dinner was home made chili, cornbread, fruit salad, and dessert. There =
was plenty and it was wonderful. During dinner I learned that the two =
couples, who belonged to the Church of the Brethren, were celebrating =
being empty-nesters. Their daughters had just gone off to college. The =
next morning the guys were assigned to cook breakfast and they made =
quite a spread. It was delicious. They did make one mistake. They cooked =
a whole pound of bacon and the 2 couples ate only four pieces in total =
and I had 4. They offered all that was left to me. I also took along =
some biscuits, extra scrambled eggs and cookies. It made quite a =
mid-morning snack.

I had not had a good nights rest. The campground was full and all night =
long people were driving through attempting to find a spot. When they =
got to my site,  which didn't have a car, they would turn in and then =
either see my boots and pack on the table or me on the ground. The car =
would sit for a minute while they tried to understand. Meanwhile the =
headlights and engine noise would wake me up.  I doubt that I got 30 =
minutes uninterrupted sleep all night. When I arrived at Lewis Mountain =
Campground the next day I was beat and decided to call it a day.

That night it just so happened that a group from a Baptist church =
invited me for dinner. It was very good cowboy dinner. They didn't have =
dessert but there was 4 Jewish youths camped across from me who invited =
me over for smores and red wine.

The next day at lunch I was talking to some people on the trail and told =
them how I had been blessed with meals the last couple of days and they =
immediately told me they belonged to the Church of Christ and offered me =
a lunch of ham sandwiches.

And that is why I refer to this experience as the Ecumenical Feed.

southwalker99@alltel.net
ME-GA99
In hiking there is no special recognition given for speed style or =
finesse, there
are only those who do the hike and those who don't.



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